Trading Heads and Breathing Hearts
by 1kgal
Summary: Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn wake up bound and left in an abandoned shack. Tom and Huck.


This is my first time doing this pairing, so you will probably be able to tell...

But I LOVE this pairing! It's sad that it's so rare...

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><p>"Well, Tom. I reckon we's in some sort of predica… in some sort of trouble," Huckleberry said after finally coming around from sleep.<p>

Tom Sawyer tried to move while bound tightly, back-to-back, to his best friend Huckleberry Finn, "That's swell to point out, Huck, but I think that much is plain to see, seein' as we're all knotted up and such."

They weren't getting anywhere with the twine holding them wrapped so tight around their wrists that the tips of their fingers were going numb and so tight around their waists it left hardly enough room to breathe. Yesterday, Tom had found a whole gang of bandits who were hidden in an old shack abandoned in the forest. Particularly, the shack they were in at that very moment. Thinking of the adventures they could have, Tom invited Huck to come along at meet the hideaways. With much of the night forgotten, they only had a shadow of a memory…

"Those folks seemed fine by me when we was all messin' around."

Tom brought his hands up again, trying to gnaw off the tight restrictions. He'd been working at it every since he'd woken up and hadn't gotten far. Tom dropped his hands on his lap again, looking around the small enclosed space. Just four dusty walls, a dusty ceiling, and a dusty floor. One window without anything in it, letting the soft and naked kind of light come in.

"They seemed fine by me too, Huck. My impression is, it's only early morning yet by the lookin' of the light."

Huckleberry looked at the window and nodded, deciding that what Tom had said was true. Then, his attention focused to his wrists that were tied so tightly his fingers didn't even feel as if they were there. And that thought led to another thought. Quickly he checked for all his fingers and next for all his toes, making brief pats all the way down his front. Tom could only feel Huck's movement and found it curious the way his body was shakin'.

"Huck? What're you doin' back there with all that shakin'? You cain't be scared, can ya?"

Huckleberry shook his head, patting himself down once more for good measure.

"I'm checkin' so to see if all my parts are still where they s'posed to be," he said after he was done.

Tom turned his head as much as he could to see the dark head of hair behind him, "You checkin' for your parts? What is you doin' that for?"

Huck shook his head, saying in his calm and knowing kinda voice, "I hear'n stories 'bout robbers that take parts of their victims as tokens t'keep… I was just checkin' t'make sure that din' happen to me."

Tom's eyes widened at the thought. He sure didn't want any of his parts missin' for when he goes back to the house. Aunt Polly was probably already throwing a fit that he wasn't in bed that morning. Tom did a quick check list of things important. Hands and feet. Belly and back. Nose, fingers, and toes. They all seemed to be where they were born on'im.

"I'm thinkin', Huck."

" 'bout what?"

"I'm thinkin' that with us bein' awake together, that we might be able t'work together t'worm outta all this rope and such. Whatdaya think?"

Huck tested the ropes with a tug, "_Well_… I guess there's nothin' I ain't gonna try 'least _once_. No matter if'n it seems impossible."

Bracing their feet on the ground, both boys used each other as a support to push themselves upright. Once they were standing, both sets of bound hands tried to find a way to get themselves untied. Pushing a pulling, it didn't matter which way they tried.

"We ain't gettin' far, Tom," Huck stated blandly. They were wrapped up so tight that the twine was caught stuck under their ribs.

"Looks like it, Huck," Tom replied, sliding back to the floor with Huckleberry right behind him. Literally.

Huck absently scratched his leg, staring at the run down shack's walls. Short thoughts followed by long pauses filled his head. If it weren't fo' the rope, this mighta been comfy. Pause.

As his friend sat behind him thinking and pausing, Tom continued looking for any way out. There wasn't much of anything in the little place though. An old mattress and some forgotten scraps. Nothing worth lookin' over. Then, by chance, he caught eye of something' that made his mouth curl into a smile. One of the bandits from yesterday had left a half-downed bottle of liquor in the corner.

"Heya, Huck?"

"Yesum?" Huck asked, while still in one of his pauses.

"Turn your head over here. Think if we got a hand on that bottle over there, we could break it and make a sharp edge outta it?"

Huck looked over his shoulder with a lazy daze. He spied the bottle tucked neatly by the wall, almost hidden if you hadn't been lookin' for it.

"_Mmm_, I reckon broken glass would make a fine edge, Tom."

"Then scoot our selves to it."

Slowly but surely, they slid across the floor and towards the bottle. Tom reached over and managed to grab the brown glass bottle with his free fingers. He just had to break it and soon they'd be out. Huck had been sittin' in one of his pauses again, when one of those short ideas popped up.

"Wait a second," he spoke, leaning back against Tom's dirtish blonde head. "Wurdn't it be much of a better idea t'not waste all the rest of that?"

Tom smiled, "Why, I _s'pose_ it's bad t'waste…"

Feeling mighty good about Huckleberry's suggestion, the boy brought the drink up and took a swig. His mouth was filled with a harsh and stinging taste he could feel as it went down, followed by a dull, tingling warmth. Then, Huck had leaned as much as he could, tapping him on the shoulder. Tom complied and handed it over, letting Huck take a few mouthfuls for himself. Back and fourth they passed it until the last drop surrendered itself.

Tom breathed deeply, concentrating on the bottle held in his hands, "Huck? Do y'ur head feel kina like it's off an' foatin'?"

"Feels like it right stuffed full o' cotton fluff, Tom."

The blonde was trying to concentrate on what he was holding again, because either his hands were movin' or his head were.

"It's all drank now, t'not be wasteful. I'm jus' gonna get us an edge now…" Tom cracked the bottle against the floor, sending little browned glass shards across it's surface. Then grabbing a nearby chunk of glass, he started picking at his restraints. "I'll do me first, then I'll come an' get you undone too."

Time went slowly by as Tom's sluggish mind strained, tryin' to keep him on the task in front of him. Huck had gone silent a while ago, back to short thoughts and long pauses. Finally the blond friend cut though and tension was immediately released. It only took a bit of tugging and Tom was able to move his arms freely about.

"You got some… _irreg'lar_ movement fer someone tied up," Huck commented knowingly.

Tom flexed his hands open and closed to make sure they were working properly, "Sure do. 'Cause I got loose. Now, where's that other knot?"

He slowly felt around his belt area until he found the right knot. With intoxicated fingers, Tom struggled again to untie them both. But his fingers kept on slippin' off, so he went back and started picking at it with the glass again. Finally, something gave way, and both boys were able to wiggle and crawl out.

Huckleberry turned to Tom, helding up his bound wrists, "Do me too. I cain't do hardly nothin' like this."

Tom nodded, crawling on his hands and knees to the constrained boy. Huck sat on his knees waiting, hair in his face that he didn't care to move. Tom stopped and sat on his knees too, lookin' at his friend in the most serious manner.

"You look mighty a fool, lookin' at you this from this angle. Looks like your beggin'."

Huck frowned because he was _not _beggin', "You'd been lookin' like this too, not just a while a'fore."

Tom had been staring at that frown long until Huck had nudged him hard.

The blonde blinked heavily, bringing himself back to life, "Sorry. All a'sudden my head ain't workin' right."

"Jus' get these undone…" Huck said again, holding out his wrists.

Tom nodded but didn't get around to doing anything.

Huckleberry frowned again, "What's it, Tom? You keep up 'n stoppin'."

Tom stared at that frown again and without really thinkin' asked, "You…wanna trade heads? I Cain't get nuthin' done with this one o' mine."

Huckleberry frowned ever deeper, "And how is we s'posed t'trade heads? Never in my life did it ever come off."

Tom already had a solution ready, "Well, if we put're heads together, we'd most likeliest transfer's our heads…um, _spiritually_…"

The dark haired boy shook his head solemnly, "I ain't so _spiri-chul, _Tom… You know that."

Tom shook his head too, "No matter. Ain't you the one who said there ain't nuthin' you ain't gonna try 'least _once_?"

Huckleberry had to nod, "I s'pose. How is we gonna try an' do it?"

The blonde rocked back and fourth, slowly clicking pieces of thought together.

"I'm thinkin'… I'm just gonna put us together and hope for the best."

There wasn't anything Huck knew about trading heads, so he decided to sit there dumbly and wait for whatever Tom was gonna do.

Tom was clicking thoughts together again. How was he gonna get Huck's head? Clumsily he leaned forwards, leaning his forehead against Huckleberry's. Huck watched his friend who was now in close quarters. Tom struggled to keep up a line of thought on what he was trying to do.

"S'not working…" he mumbled.

"I reckon not," Huck answered.

Slowly, Tom had his thoughts regroup again.

"…then I'll breathe it outta you."

"And how's that work? I'm already breathing out on my own."

The blonde firmly put his hands on his friends shoulders and pressed their lips together. Then, while Huck was still unaware of what was happening, Tom took a lungful of air hoping that he'd breath in his friend's functional mind. And he thought it might have worked considering how wired and awake he suddenly felt.

Tom pulled back saying, "Gee, Huckleberry. You was lyin' when you said it was like cotton fluff. This is more like after runnin' a race or jumpin' in the river… With my heart thumpin' so fast."

"It _were_ like cotton fluff…" The other said, pursing his lips. "Now that you'd done that, it feels kina more like what you'd said."

Tom sat, hands still on Huckleberry's shoulders as he tried this new form of thinking. Everything was too fast. He could barely think a thought before it was chased off and replaced by another.

"Come an' take back your head then. I cain't understand it anyway…"

Huckleberry nodded and started to lean forward. Only about halfway though, he stopped.

Tom made a face, impatient to get back to normal, "Hurry on, Huck!"

Huckleberry sat back again, "No, Tom. When I tries, it makes me feel weird- an' I cain't do it."

Tom frowned, scratching his head, "_Why_?"

Huckleberry looked up at the ceiling, not sure himself, "I jus' _cain't_."

"Jus' _do_ it, Huck," the blonde said, giving him a little shake.

Huckleberry looked back feeling like he was still running at that moment. His heart just wouldn't settle down. But Tom's unrelenting gaze forced himself to lean forward again, this time making the whole trip to his friend's mouth. He had found himself stuck there though, forgetting why he was there. Like he had just woken up and found his lips had taken with their own mind. He scrambled for what he was doing all the while Tom was watching him making things even more stressing and heart thumpin' for him. Huck finally recalled the purpose of this interaction, taking a breath like Tom had and pulling back as fast as he was able.

"There," he said. "You got y'ur head back?"

Tom shook his head, feeling inside his chest a racing heart.

"Maybe…we ain't do it long enough?" he suggested shamelessly.

Huck looked skeptical, "Not long enough?" His heart was beatin' so fast, any longer and it mighta given up and stopped.

Tom nodded, ready to get close again, "Yeah. So jus' hold tight-"

As he leaned forward, Huckleberry leaned away, "You seems to be fine enough. Why ain't you jus' untie me?"

Feeling panicked that Huck wouldn't try again, Tom cast the blame," 'Cause you ain't set me straight yet!"

"I ain't set you crooked in the first place, Tom! What could I've done with me bein' tied up like this? I ain't done _nuthin_ t'you!"

Tom and Huck had a stare off that lasted until the blonde finally lowered his head. But his heart and head weren't slowing down. It had to be that Huck still had his head. Tom didn't want to be stuck like this forever. Looking up to see if the darker haired boy wasn't watching, Tom leapt over and tackled his friend to the floor. Huck looked up wide eyed and in shock as he was straddled and hands pinned above his head.

"Tom Sawyer, I ain't playin' with you! Get offa me!"

"I'm not gonna hurt ya none, I'm just gettin' back what's mine!" and at that, Tom pressed his lips up against Huck's again. His heart was pounding so ferociously that it felt like he was going to explode. It seemed like Huckleberry had taken and breathed in his sensible heart too along with his head, but Huck's mouth wouldn't open to let him take it back.

"Open y'ur mouth, Huckleberry, a'fore I _make_ you!"

Huck shook his head in defiance. His heart was gonna stop if Tom kept up whatever he was doin'.

The blonde was finished waiting, "I warned ya, Huck!"

Tom brought a hand up, pinching the boy's nose shut. It wasn't a long a struggle before Huckleberry opened his mouth, desperate for air. Now it was Tom's turn to be desperate, putting his mouth back to his friends, trying to breathe in is heart and head. Huck had settled down, trying to get back to thinkin', but with his friend hovering over him like so while pressed together was making things difficult. He was being filled with all sorts of feelings that weren't there before. They weren't all that bad… just strange and different. Tom refused to move his lips until he was comfortable with his heart slowed down to an acceptable pace and his head thinking at a more regular speed. Then, slowly he lifted his head away, watching his friend carefully. Huck opened a pair of eyes that looked back as he rolled his lips. Tom felt a pang in his chest again.

"Dang it, Huck! Why is you gotta keep sucha hold on me!"

Huckleberry went to his half-lidded lazy day gaze that he always got when they were just sitting around, "I ain'ts got no hold on you, Tom…"

"Yes, you do!"

"Then it ain't no hold that I did myself, Tom. Don't ya think I'd give up whatever I took since y'ur my best friend? You keep on sucking the breath outta me if you think it's in there, but I'm tellin' you it ain't."

Tom felt a sickness growing in his stomach now. He'd forced the breath out of his friend and he'd taken it calmly, simply because they were friends.

"…sorry, Huck. I think our little drink from a'fore was the what whoen stolen my head an' heart," he apologized and got off, starting to undo the boy's bindings.

Huck sat up once he was freed, rubbing his wrists and eyeing Tom, "So, you feelin' any better? Heart an' head?"

"My heart's still skippin' around an' my head is still thinkin' some stuff. Huck… you _sure _you hadn't gone an' breathed in my heart? 'Cause that's what keeps it goin' off track. I'm sure o' it."

"Well, t'be true… my heart ain't actin' so healthy either. 'Specially when y'ur takin' my breath an' all…"

"Kina exciting…"

"Kina differ'nt…"

"I'd like t'try it again."

"I s'pose it don't harm nobody."

Both boys leaned in again, touching at the lips once more. Who knew that a pair of regular old lips could feel so sweet when you were just…

Tom quickly pulled back again and Huck gave a curious look.

"Hey, Huck… you know what this kinda reminds me of?" the boy didn't answer, so he continued. "_Kissin_'."

"What?" Huck asked. He thought they were trading heads. Kisses sure enough wasn't meant for boys to share.

"_Kissin_'. That's what it's like," Tom insisted with a nod.

"But you cain't-"

"Isn't kissin' nuthin but puttin' lips together like we've been doin'?"

"But we's-"

"An' so we has kina been kissin' this whole time. How about that?"

"Tom-"

"Well, maybe it don't count since it weren't beein' thought of like that…"

"That's 'cause-"

"That's 'cause we was beein' _spiritual _at the time."

"but-"

"Not to mention a tad out of the brain with the drinkin'."

Huckleberry gave up on tryin' to get a word in, bobbing his head up and down as if agreeing with every word. He wasn't sure if he did or not, but he was sure he didn't want to listen to Tom's odd talk about kissin' and things.

"But kissin' aint for boys."

Nod.

"Though if we _was _kissin' I'd say I didn't mind. Not a bit."

Nod.

"You said it weren't bad neither."

Nod.

"An' the books say kissin' can do a lot to a body's heart."

Nod.

"I think we oughta kiss with meanin' this next time. T'see if that's it."

Nod. Pause. Huck turned his ears back on because he _thought _he'd heard his friend tellin' that they should do sumthin.

"Huh?"

Tom had a hand holding his bangs up as he had gone quiet.

Huck tilted his head, "What did you jus' say, Sawyer? I missed it."

Tom's face grew contorted and his cheeks burned, "Huckleberry, I'm askin' you t'be a real friend t'me. An' t'let me give you a kiss."

Huck didn't know a lot, but there were a few things he knew, "Kissin' ain't for friends Tom. Kissin' is for lovers an' such."

Tom tried to work his negotiating skills, "I ain't sayin' we lovers, Huck! I'm jus' sayin' that I'd like you t'think of it like a kiss. T'see if it makes a difference. Jus' a li'l peck this time, Huck! I promise!"

The blonde tried his best to look earnest. Huckleberry fidgeted with his fingers, scratching a pattern in the dusty floor as he thought. Boys ain't s'posed to kiss boys. An' mostly only lovers kiss… What was Tom thinkin'? None of it made sense to even think about. But his friend was sitting there looking so uncomfortable, that he decided not to mind it. Tom was about the only thing carin' about him, so this much shouldn't be bad. Huck rearranged himself so he was sitting cross-legged.

"I'm gonna let you do it _once, _Tom. 'Cause before I said that there ain't nothing' I wouldn't try once."

Tom shivered a little bit, even thought it was warm out. He was going to do this an' see if all the feelin's matched up. Huckleberry didn't move an inch as Tom crawled over and placed hands on either side of his face. Tom looked at how far he was already. How would he go about kissin' a boy? Never read no books on how to do that for a boy.

"Forgive me if I skip any romancin' parts. I ain't know how that works yet."

Tom led Huck over to him now, making it so their lips touched like how he expected it to go in a regular kiss. Now that this time he was actually thinkin' of kissing, it were a lot more embarrassing. His insides felt like he'd been runnin' a race again and there were somthin' flittin' around in his stomach. Tom pulled back feeling flustered. Huck had felt it too, growing red in the face.

"Huckleberry? I guess you does got my heart. An' I s'pose there ain't no takin' it back neither."


End file.
